Article August 22, 1914 Issue

No Material Weapons

MAUDE J. SULLIVAN

On page 254 of Science and Health we read: "The human self must be evangelized. This task God demands us to accept lovingly today;" also on page 369, "It is error even to murmur or to be angry over sin." The student of Christian Science will do well to study these statements, making sure that he accepts his task in the manner enjoined. Does the Christian Scientist ever accept his daily task unlovingly? Does he ever take up the sacred weapons of Truth, declaring that God, good, is omnipotent and omnipresent, the while his consciousness is filled with resentment at the seeming reality of wrong or of disease, or perhaps rebellion that there is a problem to solve? Though bravely trying to meet some situation, does he ever murmur over sin, bemoaning the magnitude of the error, or bewailing the fact that there is in his experience "so much to meet"? He cannot do any of these things if he is truly a Christian Scientist.

A wonderful help can be derived from the study of the seventeenth chapter of the first book of Samuel,—the story of the overcoming of the Philistine giant by David, the shepherd boy of Israel, and the observation of his motive and manner in the conflict. The youth, in obedience to his father's command, had gone into the camp of the Israelites, and almost immediately was confronted with the boastful Goliath, who had terrified Israel's mighty warriors. But David's vision was clearer than theirs. He had proved the power of the living God while tending his father's flocks; and he saw in the giant, not a personal enemy, but a defiance hurled at the army of the living God. In His name he met this defiance, declaring, "The battle is the Lords's," his one desire being that "all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel." David went forth in the power of Spirit, Mind, discarding all the carnal means of warfare offered by King Saul. How sublime was his trust as he said in refusing them, "The Lord that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine." There was no trace of anger or resentment in his attitude. He certainly accepted his task lovingly; for, as the account clearly states, "David prevailed over the Philistine ... and slew him; but there was no sword in the hand of David."

Turning to page 595 of our text-book, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," we find one of the definitions of sword to be, "Revenge; anger." The lesson is plain to all Christian Scientists. We should, like David, accept our task lovingly, desiring only to prove the omnipotence of God. We should go forth to the conflict with error, with no sword, no thought of revenge or anger, murmuring not in the least over the assault of sin. To murmur thus, our Leader tells us, is an error in itself. We have the promise that God will not suffer us to be tempted above that we are able; so we may be assured that, like David, we shall never be called upon to meet a giant until after we have overcome a lion and a bear.

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